Making my first vivarium? Should I?

[Heatheranne]

I have been reading lots about making a vivarium. It looks fun and they are beautiful.

But, as usual, I have several questions.

1. What are safe flowers for RETF's and that will live in high humidity?

2. Where does the plant water drain to, how often do you water, or do they get enough water from the humidity in the tank?

3. What light(s) do you use? Will the 5.0 tropical hood light be sufficient?

4. What do you glue the false bottom egg crate together with?

5. How often do you change the water in the bottom and what is the best way to do that after it is already set up? Through siphon tubing?

6. What is the best way to heat a vivarium?

I'd love any other suggestions or help anyone has to offer .

[DonLisk]

1. What are safe flowers for Red-Eyed Leaf Frog's and that will live in high humidity?
Flowers or plants? I like to use air plants up on the background and Crotons, Snake Plant (they sleep on here a lot), cryptanthus, Small Bromeliads work well but get big and most you find in Walmart and hardware stores are already huge, Thicker leaf ferns are good, Pothos is always a favorite of many frog keeps due to the big leaves and easy of growing.


2. Where does the plant water drain to, how often do you water, or do they get enough water from the humidity in the tank?
When you mist the tank twice daily it waters the plants, the frog waste feeds the plants, and noticable waste can be taken out routinely.
The water will go to the false bottom (either eggcrate false bottom or Hydroballs). If you are not over watering, you really won't have much water in the bottom. For removing water, you would need to siphon it out or have a pump built in.
Here is a link to making an eggcrate false bottom with a pump built in. http://www.frogforum.net/vivarium-te...se-bottom.html

3. What light(s) do you use? Will the 5.0 tropical hood light be sufficient?
Your frogs need no lighting but the 5.0 CFL bulb would be good for your plants and would create a day/night schedule for the frogs if used.
The CFLs really don't add a ton of heat too so your room temp plus about 5 degrees off the 24 - 26 watt bulb would be be tank temp.

4. What do you glue the false bottom egg crate together with?
I use zipties or I just place the crate on top of the couplings I put in as a base for the crate to sit on.... see above link.


5. How often do you change the water in the bottom and what is the best way to do that after it is already set up? Through siphon tubing?
You don't change it unless you built in a pond area, if you have one corner as a small pond area, then you can siphon from there and replace the water there. You would have to change it probably weekly.

6. What is the best way to heat a vivarium?
Room temperature is usually fine if your nominal room temp is about 68-70. If you need to get it up more move the top light closer to the top of the tank and farther away to cool it more. Under Tank Heaters (UTH) can be put on the side to give one side a slightly higher temp and the other side a cooler temp.

Don

[Heatheranne]

Wow! Great!

Thanks! I just may have to try it. They are so much prettier than a terrarium.